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Hospital board rejects
latest bids
The Bartlett Regional Hospital Board of Directors has voted to reject the
latest bids for its Project 2005.
The board also voted to redesign the project and put it out to bid once
again.
Hospital administrator Bob Valliant says the panel determined the low bidder
in the most recent round of bidding was an unaffordable project for the
hospital. It came in about seven million dollars over the 30 million dollar
cost estimate.
Valliant was directed to look at the design and eliminate six and a half
million dollars and bring that back to them.
He says its hard to say exactly when, but they would like to move quickly so
they don't miss another building season.
Valliant also says its to early to exactly say how the project will be
reduced by six and a half million dollars.
Four bids were opened last month in the second round. The first round netted
one bid that was eleven million dollars over the estimate.
Homeland security
conference and exercise planned in Juneau
A conference on homeland security dubbed "Protecting the Last
Frontier" is planned for Juneau from March 9th through the 11th.
Tom Burgess is Deputy Director
for Homeland Security and Emergency Services for the state. His primary
responsibility is directing Alaska's Office of Homeland Security.
He says the conference will involve 250 to 350 participants. Among the
participants will be 150 representatives from local jurisdictions around the
state. Speakers from around the country are coming and industry
representatives have been invited.
Burgess wouldn't say much about it now except to say it will be the latter
part of next month is a combined federal, state and city exercise.
He says there will be publicity coming out on the exercise later.
In the meantime, he confirmed information we had that a homeland security
exercise is planned in the Capital City next month.
Burgess wouldn't say much about it now except to say it will be the latter
part of next month is a combined federal, state and city exercise.
He did say its called "Unified Defense for Juneau." Burgess said
it will be primarily a water borne exercise, although there is also a ground
component.
He says they'll be working with the City and Borough of Juneau.
Howl-ins planned this weekend around
the nation
Friends of the Animals has organized some more howl-ins this weekend to
protest the state of Alaska's aerial wolf control program.
Protests are planned in Sitka as well as Las Vegas, Youngstown, Ohio,
Corvallis, Oregon, and Saint Petersburg, Florida.
At the howl-ins, people are asked to mail postcards to the Murkowski
administration pledging not to travel to Alaska until the predator control
program is canceled.
The state is prepared to send teams of pilots and hunters out in the McGrath
area and the Nelchina basin to kill wolves.
People in those areas want more moose and caribou to hunt and eat.
There's no indication yet whether the threatened boycott will have an effect
on Alaska where tourism is a nearly two billion dollar business.
Friends of the Animals says some 60-thousand protest postcards have been
sent to the governor.
Docks and Harbors Board
meets tonight
A full agenda awaits the Juneau Docks and Harbors Board tonight. (Thursday)
The board will take up new rules for commercial use of the small boat harbor
launch ramps.
Port Director John Stone says it's intended to reduced the commercial use of
Statter Harbor so that the launch ramp is available more of the time for
recreational boats.
The panel is scheduled to take up a recommendation for the Assembly, to pass
a resolution declaring the availability of certain tidelands for lease.
Stone says the tidelands between the Big and Little Rock Dumps. He
says one group has expressed interest in utilizing those tidelands.
Enforcing downtown loading zone regulations will be up for public comment
and board approval.
The panel is scheduled to take action on a change order for installing a
temporary 200 foot log boom breakwater at the entrance of Douglas Harbor.
The boom would be in front of the entrance and is designed to temporarily
protect the new stalls that are currently being installed. Stone says it
could take up to a year for the Corps of Engineers to put in the permanent
breakwater.
The Finance Committee will present fee changes for the Board's
consideration. The annual moorage fees and electricity fees are expected to
increase A public hearing on the changes is scheduled for February 26th.
The board will consider a resolution prioritizing federal funding requests.
Topping their list is development of a commercial fishery associated
facilities in Statter Harbor and a downtown port visitor center.
Stone is scheduled to make a presentation concerning proposed revisions to
the board's enabling ordinance, Title 85, that will be under consideration
by the Assembly next month.
The Docks and Harbors Board meeting begins at 5 this afternoon in the
Assembly Chambers.
Consultant to begin Centennial Hall
study
A consultant is in Juneau to begin a study to review different management
options for Centennial Hall.
The CBJ Parks and Recreation Department currently manages the facility.
At the end of 2000, a fiscal task force appointed by the Mayor came up with
recommendations to save money.
One of the proposals was looking at the possibility of having another group
run Centennial Hall.
Parks and Recreation Department Director Kim Kiefer says the consultant is
Steven Spickard with Economics Research Associates of San Francisco...
The Assembly appropriated $15,000 for the study last fall. It is tentatively
scheduled to be presented to the Assembly by late Spring
Committee developing
waterfront plan organizes
The Assembly Waterfront Committee conducted an organizational meeting last
evening.
Committee Chair Jeannie Johnson said they planned to develop an aggressive schedule aimed at forwarding a
recommendation to the full Assembly by the first part of April.
The full Assembly sitting as the Waterfront Committee will listen to a
presentation by the consultant next Monday beginning at five.
The consultant will also address meetings of the Planning, Commission, Parks
and Recreation Advisory Committee and Docks and Harbors Board next week.
Record profit reported by
oil giant
Exxon Mobil says it earned a record profit in 2003.
For the year, the company earned a record 21 and a-half billion dollars,
or three-23 per share.
Fourth-quarter earnings jump 63 percent as it benefited from higher prices
for crude oil and natural gas.
The world's largest publicly traded oil company earned six-point-six billion dollars, or just more than one dollar per share, in the
October-December period. That excludes two-point-two-three billion
dollars from settlement of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service and
other one-time gains and losses.
With those factors considered, Exxon Mobil said it saw an operating profit
of four-point-four billion dollars, or 68 cents per share.
That easily beat the forecast of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call,
who had expected earnings of 58 cents per share.
Gas line application passes
muster
Governor Murkowski yesterday officially accepted an application submitted by
a consortium of companies to build an Alaska gas pipeline. The state now can
enter into negotiations with the group led by MidAmerican Energy Holdings
Company.
Gas authority seeks
legislative funding
Out of money and nearly out of time, the Alaska Natural Gas Development
Authority asked a House committee for more than two million dollars.
The authority has until June 14th to complete a comprehensive feasibility
study on getting North Slope natural gas to market.
Harold Heinze is chief executive officer for the authority. He says such a
study costs much more than the 350-thousand dollars that's been spent so
far.
Heinze testified before a joint House Finance and House Special Committee on
Oil and Gas Wednesday to appeal for more money.
Heinze says all of the authority's funds are either spent or earmarked, and
still much work needs to be done.
The authority was created in 2002 by Alaska voters frustrated over the
seemingly interminable delays from oil producers unwilling to commit to
building a pipeline to the Lower 48.
Since then, stranded gas applications have been filed by the producers and a
consortium of energy companies interested in building such a line. The
applications open the door for negotiations to begin with state officials.
Heinze says the authority's work becomes more important now as it can
provide pipeline information to lawmakers on any deal negotiated. In
addition, it represents a fallback pipeline plan should the state be unable
to reach agreement with the two interested parties.
Police chief change
announced in Nome
The police chief of Nome has resigned.
City Manager Randy Romenesko has confirmed that Ralph Taylor's tenure ended
yesterday.
Taylor had been chief of the Nome police department for six years. His
contract was scheduled to expire in May.
Romenesko says the City Council feels that the Nome police department needs
a change of leadership.
Taylor and the police department have faced close scrutiny since August
because of the murder of Sonya Ivanoff.
Matthew Owens, a former Nome police officer, was charged with the murder.
Officials say Shirley Gifford, who retired last year as chief of the
Soldotna Police Department, will serve as interim replacement.
Gifford also is a former captain of the Anchorage Police Department. She's
expected to start working in Nome next week.
State comes up with standards for qualified
teachers
Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, teachers are supposed to be
highly qualified.
But until now exactly what that means for Alaska has been a subject of much
debate.
Now, the State Board of Education, thinks it has it figured out. And today
will propose a way for experienced teachers in Alaska to prove their
qualified, without having to take tests or college courses.
The Anchorage Daily News says the board is proposing that teachers hired
before July 2002 get achievement points, for a variety of things, including
attending professional conferences and speaking more than one language
fluently.
Teachers also could get points for certain college degrees, and being
published.
Teachers with 100 points or more under the system would be considered highly
qualified.
Plan to close Kenai schools
stopped
Kenai Peninsula school officials have halted a plan to close nine schools.
Officials say if they close the schools, they actually could lose money
because there would be less aid from the state. The idea was to close the
schools to help cope with a five million dollar budget deficit.
Measure seeks election in event of vacancy
in U. S. Senate
Lisa Murkowski may not have to run for the U-S Senate on the same ballot as
a citizens initiative that's critical of the way she got her job.
Anchorage Republican Lesil McGuire introduced a bill Wednesday that would
require U-S Senate vacancies to be filled by election.
If it passes the Legislature, the measure would keep an initiative backed by
Democrat lawmakers off the November ballot. That's because the bill is very
similar to the initiative.
The initiative came about after Governor Frank Murkowski named his daughter,
Lisa, to replace him when he left the Senate in 2002 to become governor.
That move angered some voters who saw the appointment as nepotism.
A group called Trust the People gathered signatures on an initiative to
change the law that allows the governor to appoint U-S senators. The
Division of Elections is verifying those signatures now.
Some political observers say if the initiative stays on the ballot, it could
hurt Lisa Murkowski by reminding voters of the controversy surrounding her
appointment.
But McGuire says she's not sponsoring the bill to help Murkowski or the
Republican Party. She says she's just responding to the wishes of her
constituents.
Murkowski leads in
fundraising for Senate race
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is ahead in the fund-raising race. The
Republican senator has raised one-point-eight million dollars. That
compares to former Democratic Governor Tony Knowles who has raised one
million dollars.
Earnings of Anchorage Daily
News publisher announced
The McClatchy Company, publisher of the Anchorage Daily News and other
newspapers, reported sharply higher fourth quarter net earnings today on
gains in advertising and a tax adjustment.
McClatchy posted net earnings of almost 46 million dollars or 98 cents
per share for the last three months of 2003.
That's up from 39 million dollars or 85 cents per share in the same
quarter a year ago.
The company's shares were off 42 cents at 69 dollars and 99 cents in
afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
McClatchy publishes eleven daily newspapers, including the Star Tribune of
Minneapolis, The Sacramento Bee, The Fresno Bee and The Modesto Bee in
California, and The News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Former speaker honored by State
House
State Representatives today unanimously agreed to name the House Resources
Committee Room after former Speaker Ramona Barnes who passed away last year.
House Resolution 7 was approved 36 to zero.
JDHS homecoming begins
Homecoming at Juneau Douglas High School kicks off tonight with the women's
basketball team plays Dimond of Anchorage. Tip off is at 6:30. The junior
varsity contest is at 4:45.
The Lathrop Malamutes of Fairbanks provide the competition Friday and
Saturday nights. The women's games are at 6:16 with the men playing at 8.
The JDHS Drill Team will perform all three nights.
Bears' football opponents to include
Rainier Beach
Next year's gird iron schedule for the Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears will
include high powered Rainier Beach from Washington State.
That word to us this week from Karen Lawfer of the Juneau Youth Football
League.
The schedule has them here on Saturday, September 11th.
Its expected their volunteer quarterback coach will again be with the team
this year. That's the former head coach of the Washington Huskies, Rick
Neuheisel. Neuheisel was fired last summer for betting on college basketball
games.
Chili recall does not include Alaska
Hormel Foods is recalling some 104-thousand pounds of Stagg canned chili
from stores in 16 states because it may contain plastic and other material.
Alaska is not included in the recall
The Agriculture Department says the pieces of plastic came from a
calculator.
Hormel, which owns Stagg Foods, issued the recall after getting complaints
from consumers. No injuries have been reported.
The chili was made last November 24th and sold in 15-ounce cans labeled
``Stagg Chili, Steak House Reserve, Chili with Beans, Hearty Beef with a
Kick of Green Chilies.'' The cans were sold six to a case.
Bowflex machines subject of recall
Hundreds of thousands of Bowflex exercise machine owners can get a little
extra workout by lifting the phone and calling for the repair kit.
Nautilus Direct of Vancouver, Washington, is issuing a voluntary recall of
about 420-thousand Bowflex Power Pro X-L, X-T-L, and X-T-L-U systems.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the machine's backboard bench
can unexpectedly collapse when being used in the incline position.
There also are problems with the so-called ``Lat Tower'', the device that
attaches to the back of the bench. Nautilus Direct says the frame of the
tower can weaken over time and fall forward, hitting the user in the back,
head or shoulder. There have been 70 injuries.
The machines in question were sold nationwide from 1995 to 2003.
Consumers can call Nautilus Direct to receive the repair kit. Nautilus is
also contacting owners by mail.
(Copyright ©2004
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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